THIS WEEK: The University of Iowa women's rowing team will host their first meet of the season. The Hawkeyes will race against No. 2 Ohio State, Indiana and No. 17 Louisville crews at Lake MacBride in Solon, Iowa, Saturday, April 12. The regatta begins at 8:30 a.m. (CT).

FOLLOW ALONG: For more information on how to get to the race, parking, competition schedule and live results, visit the Event Central Page.

THE RACE: The competition will take place on Lake MacBride in Solon, Iowa. The morning session will start at 8:30 a.m. and will last to 11:15 a.m. The afternoon session will start at 12:45 p.m. and goes until 3:30 p.m.

QUOTING COACH CARTER: "We're looking forward to hosting Indiana, Ohio State, and Louisville this weekend. This will be my first opportunity to be involved in a Big Ten weekend and I'm starting with a bang. Ohio State is the defending NCAA Champion, Louisville has already proven themselves against serious competition this spring, and Indiana looks to be off to one of their best starts in program history. These are three great teams and we're going to need to be at our best on Saturday.
"Our team continues to make good improvements in practice but we remain a little inconsistent. When they're on, they can be pretty impressive so we've been working on the key points that help them strike that best-available speed. To be able to race with the standard this weekend, they'll definitely need to bring their best.
"I'm confident in the progress they've been making, and I think the crews are gaining confidence with each test they've faced. I'll look for that as they boat up for this weekend's racing."

IN THE RANKINGS: Three Big Ten teams, -- Ohio State, Michigan and Wisconsin -- are currently ranked in the top-20 of the CRCA/US Rowing Coaches Poll. Defending NCAA Champion Ohio State is ranked second in the nation, while Michigan and Wisconsin are ranked ninth and 16th, respectively. Other Big Ten teams receiving votes include: Michigan State (10), Iowa (6) and Minnesota (1).

LAST EVENT: The Hawkeyes competed at the 41st annual San Diego Crew Classic, April 5-6 in San Diego. On Saturday, Iowa's 1V4+ boat posted a season-best time of 7:35.63 as it placed third in Group B of its respected race. Iowa will go head-to-head with Indiana in the morning and Ohio State in the afternoon.
The 2V8+ boat also recorded a season-best time as they finished third in their race in 6:50.56. In Group B of the Women's Collegiate Cal. Cup, the Hawkeye's 1V8+ boat took the runner-up spot with a time of 7:02.40.
On Sunday, Iowa's 2V8+ boat turned in a strong performance, finishing runner-up in the 2V8+ petite finals with a 6:53.38 effort. In the final of the Collegiate Cal. Cup, the 1V8+ boat finished fifth in 7:04.38. The Hawkeye's s would not crack the top-five in the 1V4+ final for the Karen Plumleigh Cortney Cup. Iowa finished sixth in their race with a time of 7:56.63.

WEEK ONE: At Clemson on March 22, the Hawkeyes finished ahead of No. 20 Duke in two of three NCAA events. The UI finished runner-up in 2V8+ with a time of 6:56.42 after being edged out by No. 18 Clemson (6.56.00) by less than one second. The 1V4+ event was also a tight race. The Tigers won the event (7:37.80) and the Hawkeyes finished second (7.38.70). Iowa also placed second in the 1N/3V8+ with a time of 7:18.02 and third in 1V8+ with a 6:55.18 effort in its season-opener. It is Iowa's first Big Ten Boat of the Week honor since April 15, 2008.

2V4+ EARNS WEEKLY HONOR: Iowa's 2V4+ boat was honored at the Big Ten Boat of the Week on March 25. It was selected after winning is race at Clemson. Junior Rachel Crosley, freshman Kasia Gniatczyk, freshman Bec Clayton, sophomore Skylar McSorley and sophomore coxswain Rachel Chambers competed for Iowa in the 2V4+ boat. The group placed first with a 7:40.600 effort, beating runner-up Kansas by nearly 12 seconds (7:52.500). Duke (7:56.570), Clemson A (7:57.660) and Clemson B (8:39.440) rounded out the event placing third, fourth and fifth, respectively.
WATSON FEATURED: Junior Gabrielle Watson has been featured as one of 24 Hawkeyes to Watch. The feature highlights one athlete from each of the 24 intercollegiate sports at the University of Iowa. Fans can read student-athlete's stories and watch their interviews at hawkeyesports.com.

NEW HAWKEYE IN CHARGE:Andrew Carter was named the third head coach of the University of Iowa rowing program in July 2013. This season marks his 12th year overall as a collegiate rowing coach. He previously spent time at the University of Miami (2009-13), Clemson University (2008-09), Bathes College in Lewiston, Maine (2000-08), University of Southern California (1999-00), and Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. (1996-99).
During his career, Carter has earned more than 50 championship medals, and over the last 12 years, he has coached seven All-Americans and 24 National Scholar-Athletes. He turned Miami into a nationally-ranked program, and led Clemson to its first-ever Atlantic Coast Conference title and NCAA Championship appearance.
Carter is a U.S. Rowing Level III Coach and a Rowing Canada Aviron Level IV Coach, as well as a National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) Master Instructor and Master Coach Evaluator.
Carter earned his bachelor's degree in kinesiology-biomechanics from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and a master's degree in kinesiology-biomechanics from the University of Western Ontario. He resides in Iowa City with his wife, Kim, and son, Mason.

P. SUE BECKWITH BOATHOUSE: The home of the University of Iowa women's rowing team, the P. Sue Beckwith Boathouse, is located on the bank of the Iowa River in Iowa City's Terrell Mill Park, near the Mayflower Residence Hall on North Dubuque Street, across the river from City Park. The building is named for UI alumna P. Sue Beckwith, M.D., a renowned surgeon in Des Moines, who made a $1 million leadership gift to the University of Iowa Foundation to support the campaign to build the boathouse. It is the first UI building named solely for a woman benefactor.
The $7.2 million boathouse, which was completed in September 2009, features a large ergonomics room that houses the team's rowing machines, four large boat bays, a state-of-the-art rowing tank that can move water at various training speeds, locker room and medical-training spaces, and a terrace and community room that can be used by university and community groups. It is also the home of the Iowa men's club rowing team and the Old Capital Rowing Club.

UP NEXT: The Hawkeyes will compete at the Clemson Invitational, April 19-20 in Clemson, S.C. Races will begin at 7 a.m. (CT) each day.

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